My thoughts on how to run a green health service. Ensuring that we put the planet and people above the desires of big business and understanding the place for health care with the cycle of life. These are my thoughts and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any organisations that I belong to! Make sure that you set your RSS reader to: http://greenhealthservice.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Sir Gerry and the NHS

Sir Gerry Robinson's comments on the work with the NHS for the BBC can be summarised:

1. The NHS should not be treated like a normal business2. The government should not interfere with it

To the first point - absolutely! The NHS has changed from a service to a business over the past 17 years with the fastest moves to becoming a business happening in the past 7 years. This is fundementally wrong. The NHS should primarily be about provision of services to vulnerable (ill) people when they need it - people that society as a whole has a duty to look after. The NHS can learn a thing or two from the business world, but it should not model itself on them.

To the second point - yes and no. The NHS has to be accountable to the public. Currently ministers are campaigning against changes in the NHS - so who is accountable and to whom are they accountable? The NHS should be accountable to local people through local government. This change would be rocky for a few years, but in the longer term people would smooth out with an increased sense of control and responsibility by residents for the NHS.

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About Me

I have a beautiful wife Dawn and equally beautiful daughter, Poppy. I am a qualified nurse and a keen interest in the politics of health care. I am deeply committed to Green politics and have a keen interested in the spiritual side of philospohy.